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ISD 12 

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STATE OF NEW YORK 



FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



ANNUAL REPORT 



Superintendent of State Forests 




ALBANY 

J. B. LYON COMPANY, STATE PRINTERS 

1907 



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STATE OF NEW YORK 



FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



ANNUAL REPORT 



Superintendent of State Forests 




ALBANY 

J. B. LYQN COMPANY, STATE PRINTERS 

1907 



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D. OF a 
APF 22 908 



Report of the Superintendent of Forests. 



Albany, N. Y., January 2, 1907. 
Hon. J. S. Whipple, Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner: 

Sir. — The forest law of this State requires, in section 232, that 
the Superintendent of Forests "shall report annually to the Com- 
mission, showing the annual timber product of the Adirondack and 
Catskill forests and, also, the extent of the forest fires and losses 
therefrom " ; and " shall make such other reports from time to time 
as may be required by the Commission, or may be necessary for its 
information." 

Pursuant to this requirement I respectfully submit in the follow- 
ing pages a report of the work done by the Forest Department of 
your Commission during the year 1906. The duties devolving on 
this Department are varied and numerous, including, among the 
more important ones, the prevention of forest fires, the suppression 
of trespasses and timber cutting on the State Preserves, the survey- 
ing of woodland tracts to settle questions of disputed boundaries, the 
litigation of land titles where the ownership of the State is ques- 
tioned, the prosecution of all trespasses, whether intentionally com- 
mitted or otherwise, the reforesting of the waste or denuded lands 
of the public domain, the maintenance of nurseries for the propaga- 
tion of forest tree seedlings, the preparation of pubhcations giving 
information on the subject of forestry, the examination and ap- 
praisal of forest lands offered for sale to the State, and all other 
business incidental to the care and custody of the vast landed estate 
constituting the Forest Preserve of New York. 

REFORESTING. 

In my previous reports I have each year described briefly the work 

done in connection with our efforts to reforest the denuded lands in 

the Forest Preserve. This work has attracted the favorable notice 

of many citizens throughout the State who have written to the De- 



partment asking for further information as to the methods employed 
in our tree planting and nursery work, and some of them have already 
undertaken work of this kind. As a reply to these numerous re- 
quests for instruction I have made here a more detailed report of 
our reforesting operations, and have described at some length the 
methods employed in our nurseries for the propagation of forest 
tree seedlings. This report, when printed, will be mailed to persons 
seeking information as to these matters, and will save the time 
hitherto used in answering their letters. 

The planting of seedling trees for the purpose of reforesting 
waste lands in the Forest Preserve was commenced by this Depart- 
ment in 1901, when some small areas of mountain land in the Cats- 
kills were set out with white and Scotch pine. Since then planta- 
tions have been made each year in the Adirondacks, over 500,000 
seedlings trees having been planted in 1902, and about 450,000 in 
1904. 

These plantations were made at various places, the largest ones 
as follows : in Franklin county, on the burned lands situated on the 
south side of the highway running from Lake Clear Junction to 
West Harrietstown, and beginning at a point about one mile east of 
the former; another, on the line of the railroad from Lake Clear 
Junction to Saranac Lake village, beginning at the three-mile post 
and occupying the denuded lands on either side of the line for a 
distance of about one mile in length and a half-mile in width ; an- 
other, in the same county, on the highway from Paul Smith's to 
Meacham Lake, occupying the barren plains both sides of the main 
road north of Mountain Pond and covering the open fields along the 
branch roads leading on the one side to Osgood River, and, on the 
other, to Slush Pond ; and in Essex county, along both sides of the 
highway from Saranac Lake village to Lake Placid, at a place 
known as Club Hill, about five miles beyond Ray Brook; and 
another oii the abandoned fields situated on the south side of 
Ray Brook, opposite the new State hospital for consumptives. 



The plantation on the West Harrietstown road, made in 1902, is 
in a very satisfactory condition. Coniferous species only were used 
on this tract,— pine, spruce and larch. The Scotch pine and white 
pine planted there have now attained an average height of five feet, 
while many of them are taller than an ordinary man. 

The plants used were mostly three and four-year old transplants, 
the balance of the stock consisting of two-year old seedlings, un- 
transplanted. The latter were tried because of our inability to 
obtain larger plants. The transplants va'-ied in height from eight 
to fourteen inches. For the first two years these infant trees made 
but little growth, as their vitality was sufficient only to recover 
from the shock of transplanting and in establishing the new root 
growth necessary to further development. But in 1905 and 1906 
the pines put on each year '" leaders " or tips from fourteen to 
twenty-three inches long; and if the present rate of growth con- 
tinues these trees will attain ten years hence a height of twenty feet 
or more, the crowns will meet, and the young forest will be in 
evidence. The accompanying photograph taken this year shows the 
condition of this plantation at the present time, all of the trees being 
alive and in a thrifty condition. 

The soil in which this planting was done is so poor that the 
undertaking seemed at one time a hazardous experiment. The land 
had been burned over repeatedly, destroying every vestige of humus 
and leaving only a clear sand that would not adhere when pressed 
in the hand. The ground was covered with a low, scanty growth of 
ferns and huckleberry bushes, while here and there young poplars 
were making their appearance. It was certainly an unpromising 
site for any future tree growth of merchantable species. But 
as our Northern pines are found largely on a sandy soil these 
species were used for a large part of the plantation, and the 
result has justified their selection. The percentage of plants that 
died was unusually small, much less than in operations of this kind 
as observed elsewhere. The blanks were filled the next spring, and 



now that portion of the plantation occupied by white and Scotch 
pine shows unbroken rows of young trees without a dead one any- 
where in sight. 

A few of the white pines on this tract (West Harrietstown) were 
taken up in 1904 and others set out in their place. These plants 
were not dead^ but their main stems were covered in spots with 
a white powdery substance showing that they had been attacked by 
a genus of bark lice, the chermes pinicorticis. As a result these 
plants showed a dwarfed, distorted growth, and although they may 
have lived they would not attain a desirable height or shape. There 
was danger, also, that the other trees of this species would soon 
become infested, and so the worst of them were taken up and 
burned, their places being filled again with healthy plants. 

A thorough examination was then made of all the white pines, 
and wherever any sign of this pest was found the young tree was 
sprayed with a kerosene emulsion of medium strength. This re- 
moved all traces of the insect, and the stems soon showed a clean, 
healthy color. The young trees which were attacked were all in 
one place near the Harrietstown road. The large area of white 
pines planted on the ridge a half mile or so to the south was free 
from this evil. As this insect seems to confine its work to the 
white pine, the Scotch pines in the same plantation escaped, and 
show no sign of disease from this or any other cause. 

The growth of the Norway spruce in this plantation has not been 
so encouraging. The plants, though alive, seem to stand still, or, 
at best, put on short leaders. In places, wher^ the location is 
favorable, some of them make a promising appearance ; but on the 
whole their behavior is disappointing. It may be that the soil is 
too poor and sandy ; and, I noticed that on many of these plants 
(Norway spruce) the leaders were cut back by the spring frosts. 
As the use of this species in subsequent plantations has been at- 
tended by similar results we have decided to discontinue its propa- 
gation in our nurseries. At the same time, we have on hand in 




Photo. A. Knechtel. 



A young white pine, nursery stock, showing four years' growth. Note 
the growth made in the last two years. State plantation. 



our nurseries 439,080 plants of Norway spruce, three and four years 
old, of which 100,683 i''^ust go to the planting grounds next spring, 
and hence we cannot discontinue its use until this stock is disposed 
of. It is hoped that by selecting sites where the soil is better 
adapted to this species it may develop a more satisfactory growth. 

The large plantation near Paul Smith's was made in the spring of 
1905. The species and quantities used were: 300,000 white pines, 
three years old, once transplanted, imported from the nurseries of 
J. Heins' Sons, Halstenbek, Germany; 25,000 Scotch pines, four 
years old, once transplanted, purchased from the Evergreen Nursery 
Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wis. ; 20,000 white pines, four years old, once 
transplanted, from the nurseries of D. Hill, Dundee, 111. ; 5,000 
Scotch pines, twenty to thirty inches high, from R. Douglas' Sons, 
Waukegan, 111. ; and 5,000 Norway spruce, four years old, twice 
transplanted, from the exhibition nursery maintained by this De- 
partment at the St. Louis Exposition; in all, 355,000 plants. 

The plants imported from Germany cost six marks, seventy-five 
pfennig ($1.62) per thousand, f. o. b. on steamer at Hamburg, and 
were entered at New York free 6f duty. But the ocean freight, 
express charges from New York, and cartage over the eight miles 
from Paul Smith's railroad station made an additional expense of 
$1.03 per thousand. Hence this German stock cost us $2.65 per 
thousand delivered on the planting grounds, or a little over one- 
fourth of a cent per 'tree. The stock bought in Illinoas ancf 
Wisconsin cost more, so much so that we have discontinued pur- 
chases from American nurseries, and will in" the future confine our 
planting to the output of our own nurseries; or, if that proves in- 
sufficient will supplement it with importations from Germany. 

The cost of the labor in setting out the plants in the field is $325 per 
hundred thousand, or about one-third of a cent per tree. Two men 
working eight hours can set out, on an average, about 1,500 plants 
in a day. So this plantation, or so much of it as is occupied by 
imported stock cost six-tenths of a cent per tree, including both the 



purchase or propagation of the seedlings and the labor in setting 
them out in their final position; and it may be assumed that the 
expense per tree of subsequent plantations can be figured on this 
basis. The cost per acre, however, will depend on the spacing, or 
number of trees per acre, as will be explained further on. 

That our foresting operations have thus far cost more than these 
figures indicate is due to the establishment of new nurseries, the 
high prices which we are obliged to pay for stock from American 
firms, the expense of filling blanks in two of our plantations, and 
the minor mistakes or failures incidental to experimental work 
under new and untried conditions. 

In addition to the 355,000 nursling trees set out on the plantation 
near Paul Smith's in the spring, there were shipped from the State 
nurseries 193,000 more to the plantations made in the fall of that 
year at Chub Hill and at Ray Brook, making, in all, 548,100 trees 
used in our reforesting operations for 1905, not including plants 
used for filling blanks at other places. 

At Chub Hill we used 65,000 white pines and 50,000 Scotch pines. 
At Ray Brook we used 61,000 Norway spruce, 5,000 Scotch pine, 
5,000 white pine, and 7,000 European larch. The percentage of 
trees that died in these plantations was much larger than in any of 
our previous work, and was due, in my opinion, to fall planting. 
Our appropriation that year, as usual, did not become available 
until too late for the spring work, and, rather than carry it over 
to 1906, we decided to risk the experiment. 

The stock used consisted entirely of four-year old transplants 
from our own nurseries, and in size and thrifty appearance were all 
that we could desire. But many of these little trees, weakened by 
the shock of removal from the nursery beds, were unable to with- 
stand the wintry exposure that immediately followed and the severe 
frosts that occurred in the ensuing spring. Most of the dead plants 
at Chub Hill were replaced the next spring with live ones, and as 
the latter have lived and thrived it is evident that the failure of the 



others was not due to any lack of vitality or to the barren soil. 1 
am aware that in some places, where the climate and other conditions 
are favorable, fall planting of seedling conifers has been successful ; 
but if attempted on the Adirondack plateau the long, severe winter, 
followed by the usual late spring, will cause too large a percentage of 
failures. With this experience in mind we shall hereafter make our 
plantations in May. 

In addition to the 548,100 trees set out in 1906, some work was 
done that year near Paul Smith's by the seed-spot method. Forty 
acres were planted in this way with seeds of white and Scotch 
pine. In igo6 about eleven acres more of spots were made in which 
the forester used seeds of Norway, white, native red, and Douglas 
spruce ; also, some balsam and Norway pine. 

The spots were made by hacking up the sod or soil with a mattock, 
exposing a small area of fresh ground twenty inches or more across, 
which was worked slightly to prepare it for the seed. The loose 
earth on the surface was then slightly firmed with the foot — ^m 
important and necessary part of the work — and eight to twelve 
seeds scattered over it, after which they were lightly covered with 
a handful of pulverized earth. The spots were made at spaces of 
six feet from centre to centre in each direction, though four feet 
would have been better. Hereafter we shall use the latter interval 
for plantations of this kind. 

The germination was satisfactory, the spots, with few exceptions, 
showing from one to ten sprouts. In three or four years, when these 
seedlings have attained a suitable size, the most promising one will 
be selected for permanent growth, and the superfluous ones pulled 
up and thrown away. Of the latter, some will be transplanted in 
the nearest blanks. 

It was noticed in our seed-spot work that the spruces showed 
the highest percentage of germination, contrasting favorably with 
the disappointing behavior of these species in our plantations where 
only the best nursery stock was used. This suggests that, while 



8 

spruce seedlings of natural growth will live and thrive in the shelter 
of our Adirondack forests, they may not do so well when exposed to 
the bleak winds and severe frosts that prevail on the open plains 
where we make our plantations. 

The seed-spot method of reforesting is used to a considerable 
extent in Europe, especially in Saxony, and in our own work the 
invlications thus far are so favorable that we intend to continue it 
on a more extensive scale. The cost for labor on a plantation made 
this way is substantially the same as one in which seedlings or trans- 
plants are used; but we avoid the expenses incurred in the main- 
tenance of nurseries and propagation of stock. Furthermore, there 
is such a vast area to be reforested, and the appropriations for this 
purpose are so disproportionately small that we feel impelled, as a 
matter of economy, to use this method so far as practicable. 

We did some broadcast sowing, also, in 1905, but it was confined 
to comparatively small areas, and was undertaken as experimental 
work rather than with an idea of getting satisfactory results. For 
this purpose seeds of white and Scotch pine were used. Before 
sowing they were coated with red lead or with a solution of blue 
vitriol to prevent the birds from eating them. No birds were poisoned 
through this precaution, as they evidently distinguished the^e seeds 
from uncoated ones and did not eat them. 

Most of the pine sown broadcast near Paul Smith's did not sprout, 
although they may come up later on ; but an area of a few acres near 
Ray Brook, which was also sown broadcast was thickly covered 
with young seedlings this summer. 

The results, thus far, from our broadcast sowing have not been 
such as to encourage an attempt to do any extensive work of this 
kind. The germination, for the most part, is too uncertain or 
uneven. It would, undoubtedly, he highly successful if done on a 
field of freshly turned, well harrowed earth ; but such a preparation 
of the ground would be more expensive than the use of nursery 
plants. For these reasons, in gathering our supply of seed this 




i: ?'\ 



year we limited the work to collecting only such species and amounts 
as were necessary for the seed beds in the State nurseries and for 
seed-spot plantations. As the Norway pines bore only a scanty 
supply of cones in 1906, we had difficulty in securing the few pounds 
of seed of this species required in our nursery work. 

The only plantation of hardwoods undertaken as yet was made 
in 1904. The land selected for this purpose was a grassy field con- 
taining seventy acres, situated at Canoe Point on the lower end of 
Grindstone Island, St. Lawrence river. It is one of the numerous 
reservations owned by the State on the south shore of that river and 
maintained for the free use and recreation of the public. From a 
ridge of moderate height, the highest in the Thousand Islands, the 
land slopes evenly to the shore. It was set out with plants of 
broad-leaved species taken from a temporary nursery which the 
State was operating in the Catskills at that time. The species 
planted at Canoe Point consisted of red oak, pin oak, chestnut, 
black locust, black walnut, white ash, and hickory, 79,580 -in all, 
mostly oak. A few acres of hardwood seedlings were set out at 
Cedar Point also, another one of the State reservations on the 
St. Lawrence. 

Fully one-third of these plants were destroyed during the next 
winter by field mice, which, burrowing under the snow, gnawed 
the bark away or cut off the stemi completely. When the damage 
was discovered measures were taken to poison the mice, and large 
quantities of corn meal mixed with strychnine were distributed over 
the field. The plants which escaped injury are now alive and doing 
well. As the cattle which previously pastured on this ground have 
been fenced out the grass grows so thick and high that the dead 
seedlings cannot well be replaced with plants of ordinary size. They 
would be smothered by the rank, tall grass. As soon as our pro- 
posed nursery for the propagation of hardwoods is established we 
will select large plants and use them for replacing the ones destroyed 
by the mice. 



lO 



In 1906 we did comparatively little in the way of new plantations, 
and confined the work to extending the area of the ones already 
made. We could not. undertake anything further as our annual 
appropriation for reforesting was cut down one-fourth, and a large 
part of this fund was needed for the establishment of additional 
nurseries, without which we cannot do much planting and do it 
economically. Hence we bought no stock, and used only the output 
of our nurseries. A part of these plants were sent to the Chub 
Hill and Ray Brook plantations to make good the losses incurred 
by the fall planting done in 1905. Such, in brief, is a resume of 
our reforesting operations for the last five years. 

The question naturally arises here. How much does it cost per 
acre to make a forest tree plantation ? The answer depends largely 
on the number of trees per acre which are set out, and that again 
on the spacing. If the plants are placed at intervals of six feet, in 
rows six feet apart, there would be 1,210 trees to the acre, assuming 
that there were no obstacles on the ground to prevent the planting of 
the entire area. By using stock from the State nurseries the plants 
will cost when set out in the fields half a cent on the average, includ- 
ing both the propagation and the planting, or $6.05 per acre. But 
in planting a tract of several hundred acres the number of plants 
used, and the average cost per acre would be materially less because 
of the numerous small areas which cannot be planted owing to 
swampy or rocky conditions or to scattered thickets of second 
growth. The plantation at West Harrietstown, made in 1902, was 
spaced at six feet for the greater part of the tract and cost between 
five and six dollars per acre. Subsequent work done with smaller 
intervals and a greater number of plants per acre cost proportion- 
ately more. 

We intend to do our planting hereafter, to some extent at least, 
at five feet intervals. We shall adopt this spacing, however, for 
evergreen or coniferous species only. Where we undertake any re- 
foresting with hardwoods or broad-leaved species we shall space 



II 

them at intervals of seven feet or more. Pine and spruce have 
such a tendenc}^ to throAv out branches all the way down to the 
ground that the young trees of such species nuist be crowded enough 
to force a proper height growth at the start, and, by bringing their 
crown covers together as soon as possible secure a density and 
shade that will induce them to shed the lower limbs. Our tree 
planting is done for the purpose of raising merchantable timber, 
trees of maximum height with clean trunks free from limbs. Such 
trees furnish the best logs and most valuable lumber. The shedding 
of the lower limbs, caused by crowding, enables the tree to take on 
wood clear of knots ; then, having attained as great a height as pos- 
sible by these means, it can be left to exert its energy in adding to 
its diameter. In Europe the foresters plant at intervals of four 
feet, and as a result a plantation of spruce or fir, twelve to fifteen 
years old, shows a thicket with interlocking tops that cut off the 
light from the lower branches. 

In our own work we expect that after fifteen years or so thinnings 
will be made from time to time, and that the revenue from this 
source will reduce in some extent the first cost of a plantation. 

One object in making regular intervals is to have the largest 
number of trees per acre at a given cost. Irregularity or careless- 
ness in spacing would' defeat this object. It has been pointed out 
in some text books that where trees are set out at the same intervals 
as the space between the rows — each at the corner of a square area 
— they wotdd not be equi-distant in a diagonal direction, and would 
not have the same space in which to grow. For this reason triangu- 
lar instead of square areas are advocated by some foresters, and in 
our plantation near Paul Smith's one field was laid out that way. 

NURSERIES. 

The forest department of the Commission maintains at present 
four nurseries for the propagation of forest tree seedlings for use in 
reforesting the waste lands belonging to the State. Each nursery 
has an enclosed area of two acres. Two of them are situated near 



12 

Saranac Inn railroad station; one at Wawbeek, on Upper Saranac 
lake ; and one at Axton, — each in Franklin county. 

With the exception of a nursery in the Catskills which was ope- 
rated by the Commission for temporary purposes and then discon- 
tinued, the first one permanently established by this Department is 
located at Saranac Inn railroad station. The work in this one 
has been attended with Irghly satisfactory results, and its present 
condition is all that any forester could desire. During the past 
season the beds and paths presented a neat, orderly appearance, 
without a weed in sight, the seed beds show a maximum density 
of growth, and the transplant beds are filled throughout their entire 
extent with healthy, thrifty stock of good height. 

This nursery has a complete system of water pipes and hydrants 
for sprinkling the plants in times of drought, the supply coming 
from a large tank located on a hill near by. The tank, which is 
well housed, is kept full by a hydraulic ram placed in the outlet of 
Little Clear Pond near the nursery. A neat, paling fence, painted 
green, surrounds the enclosure, and the tank house, tool house and 
forester's office are painted the same color. 

This site was selected because there was a railroad station close 
by afifording shipping facilities, and on account of the areas of waste 
land to be reforested which are situated within a day's haul or less. 
There was no tree growth of any kind on the ground and so no 
expense was incurred for clearing the land ; but it was covered with 
a thin, tough sod on which there was considerable quack grass that 
had to be dug out thoroughly before plowing. 

The earth was entirely free from stones, or even small pebbles, a 
desirable condition ; but the soil was very sandy, and, though favor- 
able on that account for the growth of pines, it lacked the fertility 
necessary for general nursery purposes. To remedy this we used 
a large amount of fertilizing material. Several carloads of horse 
manure, purchased at liunber camps, were shipped in by rail, and 
scattered over the ploughed ground before the first snowfall. Some 



13 

of the manure was reserved and used in making compost piles for 
future use. 

Our principal reliance, however, was placed on a liberal use of 
black muck in making the beds, which is valuable for retention of 
moisture, although of doubtful value as a source of plant food. A 
rich deposit of this material was found at a place four miles away, 
and after letting a contract for its excavation it was piled in a large 
heap by the side of the adjoining highway to dry. When freshly 
dug this muck was so wet and heavy that hauling it on wagons 
would have been too expensive, and so it was moved on sleighs the 
next winter. A chemical analysis of this forest muck calculated on 
a basis of dry matter showed: 

*Organic matter 67.41^ 

Nitrogen 1.21^ 

The important constituents in muck are the organic matter and 
the per cent, of nitrogen. In this case the organic matter has a 
high percentage, while the proportion of nitrogen is about normal. 
There is always a little phosphoric acid, and still less potash, but 
so small in amount as to be insignificant in passing on the value 
of a muck.- Where practical it is well to use a little lime with 
the muck as was done when the ground was first prepared. To 
neutralize any sourness or acidity in the muck a liberal quantity 
of hardwood ashes, unleached, forty bushels per acre, was worked 
mto the beds. Ihe ashes served as a fertihzer, also, for this 
material contains all the elements essential to plant growth except 
nitrogen, the lack of the latter being supplied by adding a proper 
quantity of nitrate of soda. By these means a barren, sandy soil 
was rendered highly fertile, and the dry, dusty surface 'converted 
into ground of desirable consistency. 

This nursery is operated for the propagation of coniferous 
species only, pine, spruce, and larch. Of the various kinds of 



♦Analysis by Prof. George W. Cavanaugh, College of Agriculture, Ithaca, N. Y. 



pine, we are raising white, red (Norway), and Scotch; of the 
spruce, Norway and our native red spruce; of larch (tamarack), 
preference is given to tlic European species. We have some beds 
of Douglas spruce and bull pine (P. pondcrosa), but as these 
species are used sparingly in our reforesting operations they will 
be given a place hereafter in another nursery recently established for 
experimental work. The Norway spruce did surprisingly well in 
the nursery beds, but so poorly in the plantations that we intend, 
as already mentioned, to discontinue its use and confine our plant- 
ing, for awhile at least, to the three pines. This cannot be done, 
however, until we have used up the large stock of spruce which 
we still have on hand. 

The arrangement of the beds and paths is the same as in the 
best European nurseries. The transplant beds are four feet wide, 
fifty feet long, and raised four inches above the paths. A wagon 
road divides the enclosure equally in one direction and a broad 
foot path in the opposite one. The foot paths between the beds 
are narrow, but wide enough to permit the use of a wheelbarrow. 

The seed beds are few in number and occupy only a small part 
of the enclosure, for one bed of this kind will furnish the seedlings 
for a large area of transplant beds. The seed beds are twelve 
feet long and four feet wide, and are made of carefully prepared 
earth. They are protected on the sides and ends bv a framew'ork 
of boards eight inches wide, placed on edge. These boards are 
pressed into the ground until they project about six inches above 
the level of the bed. Large openings made in the boards on the 
sides and ends, covered with wire netting, allow a free circula- 
tion of air and lessen materially any tendency in the plants to 
damping off. 

Before planting a seed bed the ground is thoroughly moistened, 
after which the surface is slightly .firmed, and then the seeds are 
sown broadcast as evenly as possible. For the latter purpose, three- 
fourths of a pound of white pine seed is used on a bed four by 



^5 

twelve feet ; and half a pound of Scotch pine, red pine, or Norway 
spruce. The seeds having been sown they are lightly covered, not 
over one-eighth of an inch, with fine earth sifted through a hand 
screen. 'Any thicker covering will retard germination and increase 
the liability of failure. If the work is properly done the sprouts 
will appear in fourteen days or thereabouts, the larger seeds of the 
white pine germinating somewhat later. 

When a bed is sown it is covered immediately with a wire screen 
of small mesh to keep out the birds and squirrels which, otherwise, 
would eat the seeds. Then a lath screen for shade, with open 
spaces just the width of a lath, is laid on, with its frame resting 
on the edges of the boards that enclose the bed. As both the wire 
screen and the lath shade are made as light as possible, they can 
be lifted and removed quickly whenever it is necessary to examine 
the germination closely. 

As soon as the seeds are sown the open spaces in the lath screen 
are closed with loose lath, and the openings in the sides and ends 
of the board frames are covered with heavy brown paper to 
exclude the light. In this way the bed is kept dark until the 
sprouts appear, a humid condition is maintained, and any sudden 
change in temperature is avoided. In my opinion the remarkably 
high percentage of germination in our seed beds is due largely to 
this precaution. 

When the surface of the bed is fairly well covered with the tiny 
sprouts the loose lath in the shade frames and the paper on the 
sides of the boxing are removed, admitting light and air. 

Our seed beds are laid out east and west, so that there will be 
a moving light and shade below the lath screens, making an even 
•exposure along the entire surface. At the end of the season the 
seedlings cover the bed with an even, green mat that hides the 
:ground completely and prevents the growth of weeds. In such 
'of our seed beds as are sown broadcast we save the expense of 
weeding, but in those where, for experiment, we sow the seed in 
-drills six inches apart we have to do considerable weeding; and 



i6 

the latter work forms one of the principal items of expense in the 
maintenance of a nursery. 

At the end of the first year the lath and wire screens are 
removed, and the boxing taken up. During the second season the 
seedHngs, now known as two-year olds, attain an average height 
of four inches and show a dense mass of young foliage that has 
to be separated by the hands in order to get a glimpse of the ground 
in which they are growing. 

The two-year old seedlings are now ready for removal to the 
transplant beds, where they are reset and remain two years more. 
Some careful work is necessary in taking up the plants in a seed 
bed, especially if it was made by broadcast sowing. The tender 
roots are intertwined and tangled to a much greater extent than 
if the seed were sown in drills. For this reason many foresters 
prefer to plant their seed beds so that the seedlings will be in rows 
six inches apart, despite the extra expense incurred thereby for 
weeding and the loss of moisture by greater evaporation from the 
exposed surface. But with an exercise of proper care the seed- 
lings can be removed from a broadcast bed without injury. Be- 
ginning at one end of the bed the workman pushes a sharp spade 
into the ground below the roots and then with an upward, prying 
movement breaks up the earth until the seedlings can be loosened 
by hand. Tiic dirt is shaken off, after which the roots are easily 
and quickly disentangled without injury. If some of the long 
roots are cut off by the spade no harm is done. Many expert 
nurserymen make a practice of trimming the long slender roots 
before the seedlings are placed in the transplant beds. 

As fast as the seedlings are taken up from the seed beds they 
are carried immediately to the transplant beds where they are set 
out four inches apart in rows running across the beds. The rows 
are placed six inches apart. The rows in the transplant beds could 
run lengthwise, and this is done in some nurseries; but for con- 
venience in weeding we make our rows crosswise. 



^7 

In setting out the two-year old seedlings in the transplant beds 
a planting board is used, four feet long and six inches wide. 
Notches are cut in the edge at intervals of four inches, and the 
holes in the bed in which the seedlings are planted are made at 
these notches. By this method we obtain a regularity in the rows 
both ways, which is conducive to a proper growth and attractive 
appearance. When the seedlings have remained two years in the 
transplant beds they are ready for the plantations. They are 
then called four-year old transplants and are from fourteen to 
eighteen inches in height. The expense of removing two-year old 
seedlings into the transplant beds is a trifle over one dollar per 
thousand. 

The reason for transplanting in a nursery is that the seedlings 
develop a better root system as a result of this process, and hence 
make a better growth when sent to the plantations. No time is 
lost as the little trees grow as fast in the transplant beds as in the 
field. We could use three-year old transplants in our work ; but 
having incurred the expense of transplanting them in the nursery 
they may as well remain the additional year. The only additional 
expense is the weeding. 

I am aware that in some European countries the foresters use 
two or three-year old seedlings raised in seed beds, and which have 
not been transplanted. But this is feasible only on ground which 
has been prepared at considerable expense, or on land that offers 
favorable conditions. In our Adirondack work we have to contend 
with unfavorable conditions that necessitate the use of large four- 
year old transplants. The soil is burned to the sand or quite sterile, 
and no only strong large plants can make a start. Moreover, the 
ground to be planted is, in most places, overgrown with ferns, 
huckleberry bushes, weeds, and briers, that smother the growth of 
anything less than a four-year old transplant. We have had some 
experience in the use of two-year old seedlings for field work and 
much of it has resulted in failures. 

2 



The Department is operating also a nursery at Axton, and one 
at Wawbeek, both in Franklin county. They are used for the 
propagation of coniferous species only. These two nurseries were 
established by the Cornell Forestry School, but were abandoned 
when the work of that institution was discontinued. Part of the 
stock had been removed, after which for three years these nurseries 
were neglected and allowed to grow up to weeds. Still considerable 
stock remained, especially in the seed beds, and rather than allow 
it to become a loss we decided to re-establish these nurseries and 
utilize these plants. 

This was done at considerable expense, not only for transjjlanting 
the seedlings but in clearing out the wild growth which had taken 
possession, and in keeping down the rank weed growth which 
appeared immediately in the newly-made beds. Another unfavor- 
able feature was the large proportion of Norway spruce left by 
the college management, t^e use of which we prefer to discontinue. 

We intend, however, to operate the Axton nursery as a temporary 
arrangement only, and abandon it as soon as the stock now there is 
large enough to go to the field plantations. But the one at Waw- 
beek should be maintained as a permanent nursery, and as soon as 
the Norway spruce now there has been used it should be devoted 
to the propagation of white, Norway and Scotch pine; also larch, 
to a small extent. 

This nursery is well located, on the highway running from the 
Wawbeek Hotel, on Upper Saranac lake, to Tupper Lake railroad 
station. It is situated in a high forest, contains something over 
two acres, and is surrounded by a good wire fence. The soil is 
composed of the original forest humus underlaid by a rich, black 
earth, and owing to the shelter of the adjoining forest and moist 
conditions will not require any irrigation plant. At present the 
soil is so heavy and stiff that it is not worked easily, and weeding 
by hand is somewhat difficult. A liberal application of hardwood 
ashes or sand may be necessary to reduce the earth in the beds to 
a desirable condition. 



19 

In 1906, at the suggestion of the United States Forest Service, 
at Washington, D. C, an arrangement was made for the estabHsh- 
ment and maintenance of a co-operative nursery, one-half the 
expense to be borne by that Department. A site of two acres was 
accordingly selected on the small plateau at the top of the hill just 
east of the Saranac State Hatchery. The woods were cleared, the 
ground ploughed, and the area was planted with peas, preliminary 
to making the beds. One acre was then enclosed with a neat 
substantial wire fence to keep out the deer which had already done 
some damage to the seed beds. Transplant beds will be made next 
spring and filled with two-year old seedlings from the Saranac Inn 
Nursery, where we happen to have a large surplus in the seed beds. 

This co-operative nursery will be maintained largely for experi- 
mental work in the propagation of various untried species, a class 
of work which we cannot well undertake in our other nurseries, 
as their capacity is insufficient to furnish the kinds of stock needed 
for our reforesting operations. A part of this enclosure will be 
set apart for raising hardwoOd or broad-leaved trees, and an attempt 
will be made to introduce on the Adirondack plateau certain nut 
bearers — oak, chestnut, and hickory — which cannot be found 
there now except on the low altitudes of the surrounding foot hills. 

At present the seed beds in the Experiment Nursery contain the 
following species : Silver, sugar, Jeffrey, white, Austrian, bull, 
Scotch, Norway, and jack pine; white, red, Norway, and Douglas 
spruce; incense cedar; California white fir; European larch; and 
native balsam. The coniferous species occupy 36 seed beds, 4 hy 
12 feet each. The hardwoods, sown in drills, include the following t 
Basswood, honey locust, common locust, mocker nut hickory, black 
walnut, butternut, box elder, chestnut, and horse chestnut. Other 
species will be added this coming spring. 

All seed beds in this enclosure are sown broadcast except one of 
Norway pine and one of Scotch pine, which were sown in drills 
four inches apart to test some questions as to the best way of 



20 

making a seed bed. Experiments were made to ascertain the 
proper density of seedlings. Five beds of Scotch pine were sown 
with the following amoiint in each : One bed with one-fourth of a 
pound of seed ; one with three-eighths of a pound ; one with half 
a pound; one with five-eighths; and one with three- fourths of a 
pound, When these seedlings are two years old we may get some 
idea as to the quantity of seed per bed necessary to the best results: 
The expense of this nursery thus far is: 

Labor in clearing and cleaning land $39 25 

Plowing and hauling ofif brush 88 00 

Labor, 1,012 hours, at 22c 222 64 

Wire and posts for fence , 28 56 

Bed frames, lumber and freight 24 47 

Wire screens for seed beds 44 00 

Seeds 25 05 

Peas, 14 bushels 28 34 

Insecticides and fungicides 30 39 

$530 70 
Less amount received from U. S. Forest Service. . . 200 00 

$330 70 

The transplant beds, which will be an additional expense, will 
be made in the following spring, and will be stocked with seedlings 
from the Saranac Inn Nursery. Some of these beds will be set 
apart for an experiment in the use of one-year old seedlings as 
transplants. 

The stock of four-year old transplants now on hand in the State 
nurseries and available for the spring planting in j(/i7 is: 

Saranac Inn Nursery: 

White pine 85,370 

Scotch pine 4>7i6 



21 

Norway pine 36,288 

Bull pine 5.627 

Norway spruce 8,605 

Douglas spruce 1,000 

European larch 4,000 

Waivheek Nursery: 

Norway spruce 55'000 

White ash 300 

Arborvitae . . . . . , • 9^0 

Axton Nursery: 

Norway spruce • • • • 46,278 

Co-operative Experiment Nursery: 

Black locust 3.000 

Total 251,884 

Stock by species: 

White pine , 85.3/0 

Scotch pine • . . 4>7^^ 

Norway pine 36,288 

Bull pine 5.627 

Norway spruce 1 10,683 

Douglas spruce 1,000 

European larch 4,000 

Arborvitae 900 

White ash 300 

Black locust 3,000 

• Total 251,884 



22 

Stock furnished by each nursery: 

Saranac Nursery 145,606 

U. S. Experiment Station 3,000 

Wawbeek Nursery 57,ooo 

Axton Nursery 46,278 

Total 251,884 



This comparatively small output is due to the fact that the Axton 
and Wawbeek Nurseries were not re-established until last year 
(1906), and that the United States Co-operative Nursery is still 
lying fallow with the exception of the seed beds. 

In addition to the stock described above as available for the spring 
planting in 1907, there is a much larger quantity of one, two, and 
three-year old plants which will be ready for the field plantations 
later on. 

I take this opportunity to recommend the establishment of a 
nursery for the propagation of hardwood or deciduous species. As 
we expect to abandon the one at Axton within two years the 
number of nurseries will not be increased by this proposition. This 
hardwood nursery should be located in the Catskills, preferably in 
the valley of the Esopus creek and near some station on the Ulster 
and Delaware railroad. 

The State has now over 100,000 acres in the Catskill Preserve 
and these areas will be increased largely each year by further pur- 
chases. Some of these lands are sparsely covered with forest 
growth and can be greatly improved by underplanting with mer- 
chantable species, while other portions, consisting in part of aban- 
doned farms or cleared land, should be reforested with nursery 
stock. We started a nursery in the Catskills four years ago, at a 
place about two miles from Brown's Station. The site, which was 
selected without consulting the superintendent, was an unfavorable 
one, on a hill farm, and the gravelly, stony condition of the soil 



23 

made its operation difficult and expensive. It was abandoned with 
the intention of selecting a better site somewhere on the fertile 
bottom land of the Esopus valley, but for lack of funds nothing has 
been attempted yet to carry out this plan. 

In asking for appropriations to carry on our nursery work and 
tree planting we are often confronted with the question, why not 
let these lands grow up to trees and reforest themselves naturally? 
In reply we point out that the waste lands in the Adirondacks do 
not always reforest themselves naturally. The Indian Plains on the 
south branch ^of the Moose River are entirely devoid of woody 
growth, and were so described in the field notes of John Richards 
when he surveyed that township ninety years ago. The Mineral 
Plains, a treeless expanse of several hundred acres near Cranberry 
Lake, were in that same condition in 1772 according to the field 
notes of Archibald Campbell, one of the colonial surveyors who 
located the great Totten & Crossfield Purchase. Near the Red 
Horse Chain, on the trail to Witchhopple Lake, is a large opening 
in the forest where the ground is covered only with ferns and has 
always been so as far back as the oldest guide and hunter in that 
locality can remember. Surveyor O'Hara, in 1791, described an 
Indian cornfield of 100 acres or more, in Arthurboro Patent, Ham- 
ilton county, and this field is still bare of trees, or even shrubs. The 
burned lands and sandy plains in West Harrietstown, near Lake 
Clear Junction, remained for many years in a denuded condition 
until they were reforested by the State. 

Let it be conceded, however, for the sake of the argument, that 
the waste and barren lands in the Preserve will in time reforest 
themselves naturally. But in such a case the tree growth will be 
composed largely of worthless material and unmerchantable species. 
The wild forest that will take possession of the land is not worth 
one-tenth the cultivated one that could be established there. The 
primeval forests of the Adirondacks, at their best, have only yielded 
about 4,500 feet of soft wood timber on an average, the remainder 



24 

being unmerchantable. But our planted forests when fully grown 
will cut 40,000 feet of pine per acre. A wild forest, with its haphaz- 
zard/ undesirable growth, will increase but little, if any, in value, 
for there is none in it to start with ; but a planted forest, every tree 
a pine or spruce, will increase in value with every rise in the price 
of lumber. Our people want wood, need wood, and must have it. 
It is the mission of the forester to grow wood and thus make pro- 
vision for this ever increasing demand. 

FOREST FIRES. 

In the year 1906, the period covered by this report, the loss of 
standing timber by fire in the Adirondack and Catskill forests was 
comparatively small. While in some of our Northern States there 
were widespread destructive fires in their forest districts, the State 
of New York was exempt in a fortunate degree. This was not due 
entirely to favorable weather conditions or a wet season. The rain- 
fall was slightly below the normal, and at one time last May there 
was a period of drought during which it was deemed necessary to 
order out patrols. Many fires started up at this time along the rail- 
roads, but they were extinguished promptly by the firewardens be- 
fore any damage was done. 

On the forest lands belonging to the State 292 acres of timber were 
destroyed and 1,026 acres of waste or brush land were burned over. 
The latter was covered for the most part with ferns or huckleberry 
bushes and the sandy soil had been bare of humus for many years. 

On private lands, in the Adirondacks, timber on 1,376 acres was 
destroyed or damaged, and 4,266 acres of brush or meadow land were 
burned over. 

In the Catskills no fires occurred on State land; but timber on 
2,535 acres was damaged, and the ground fires ran over 3,005 acres 
of wild meadows and brush lands. A compilation of the figures ob- 
tained from the r.eports of the various town firewardens indicates that 
the loss in standing timber amounted to $2,715 in the Adirondacks, 



25 

and $5,620 in the Catskills. I think, however, that the firewardens 
in many instances overestimated both the area burned and the 
amount of damage, especially in the Catskills. This was evident 
from the statements of the chief firewarden who in some of these 
cases, after reading the firewarden's report, made a personal exam- 
ination of the burned territory. Furthermore, only a small per- 
centage of the trees were consumed by the flames. By far the 
greater part were slightly charred, and, though killed by the heat, 
were still valuable for fuel, and, to a considerable extent, for lumber 
or other purposes. But the firewardens reported most of the 
scorched timber as a total loss. 

In all there were 98 fires in the Adirondacks, and 44 in the Cats- 
kills. With the exception of a few that caused the damage here re- 
ported, they were attacked without delay and extinguished before 
they reached any standing timber. 

In the Adirondacks there were 1,294 acres less of timber burned 
than in 1905 ; but 1,750 more of brush, or fern growth. In the Cats- 
kills there were 410 acres more of timber burned than in 1905 ; and 
1,110 more of waste land. 

The largest fire in the Adirondacks occurred May 19, in the town 
of Greig, Lewis county; it burned 200 acres of timber and spread 
over 600 acres of waste land. It was started by some incendiary, in 
the opinion of the firewarden, but all efforts to detect the criminal 
were fruitless. 

The most destructive one in the Catskills occurred April 21, in 
the town of Lumberland, Sullivan county ; it damaged 450 acres of 
timber and 50 acres of brush land. The loss in timber was estimated 
at $2,000. This fire was started by some children who were playing 
in the woods. 

The number of fires in all — including incipient, slight, harmless 
or otherwise — in each county were : 

Adirondacks. 

Clinton county I 

Essex county 16 



26 

Franklin county 1 1 

Fulton county 2 

Hamilton county 12 

Lewis county 7 

Oneida county 3 

Saratoga county 5 

St. Lawrence county 4 

Warren county 37 



98 



Catskills. 



Greene county 3 

Delaware, county 12 

Ulster county 6 

Sullivan county 23 



44 



The number of fires, large, small, incipient, or otherwise, in each 
month were : 

April • 49 

May 51 

June 3 

July 

August 12 

September 13 

October 3 

November 1 1 



142 



27 

The causes, as reported by the firewardens were : 

Railroad locomotives 20 

Tobacco smokers I4 

Fishermen I4 

Hunters • ° 

Campers ^ 

Supposed incendiaries 1 1 

Clearing land 9 

Children at play '. 4 

Berry pickers ^ 

Bee hunters • ^ 

Imbecile . . . . ^^ .• • 1 

Burning house i 

Unknown - 5 1 



142 



The fires caused by tobacco smokers were not due to cigar stubs 
or ashes frorti a pipe so much as to the careless habit of these people 
in throwing down lighted matches in the dead leaves, on the ground. 
The great decrease in the number caused by farmers who were burn- 
ing brush — at one time the most prolific source of forest fires — is 
due to the rigid enforcement of the law prohibiting the burning of 
fallows during certain months in the spring and fall. Still, there 
were 25 violations of this law, each of which was prosecuted by the 
chief firewarden and a conviction obtained. The fines imposed in 
these cases by the local justices varied from $20 to $100, and 
amounted in all to $493. In four other cases the defendants were 
acquitted ; and one case is awaiting trial. 

With the constantly increasing number of people in the Adirondack 
and Catskill districts there is a corresponding increase in the number 
of forest fires started. It is well to consider here the direful results 
that would have ensued from the 142 fires mentioned here had there 
been no organized force to extinguish or fight them. 



28 

In fighting these fires there were 1,021 days' labor expended in 
the Adirondacks, and 982 in the Catskills. The cost to the State, 
including all other expenses incurred by the firewardens, was $2,- 
949.13. A part of this sum was expended in the prevention of fire, 
— for the payment of patrols, posting of the " Rules and Regula- 
tions " along- forest roads and trails, and services of firewardens 
superintending the burning of fallows where permits had been issued. 
Of the 131 forest towns there were 71 in wdiich no fires occurred, and 
in which no expenses were incurred for any purpose. 

FOREST PRODUCT OF NEW YORK. 

But few people ever think of the Empire State as one of the forest 
States of the Union. Its far famed pre-eminence rests on its great 
cities, large population, railroads, canals, navigable rivers, productive 
farms, and diversified industries. And yet, according to the twelfth 
census 39 per cent, of its area is in woodlands. It includes not only 
the mountain forests of the Adirondacks and Catskills, but also large 
wooded areas in other parts of the State, while, on most of the farms 
there are productive wood lots. The annual product of these forests 
and woodlands attains an amo.unt that gives New York a place 
among the lumber producing States, contributes materially to its 
wealth and. industrial development, and constitutes an important 
factor in the forestry question that is now engaging everywhere the 
attention of thoughtful men and women. 

This percentage of area in forest and woodlands (39 per cent.) as 
given in the last U. S. census is evidently too large. If added to the 
area of farm land as stated by the same authority it would exceed 
greatly the total area of the State. The only way the discrepancy can 
be reconciled is by assuming that this 39 per cent, of area includes 
wild or brush land already included in the farms. In our calcula- 
tions we are unable to find over 2"] per cent, of forest and woodlands. 

In order to formulate an intelligent forest policy and conserve the 
interests dependent on our forest resources it is highly necessary 
that we should know, not only the extent of such resources, but how 



29 

fast these are being depleted. To this end we have devoted con- 
siderable time each year to the compilation of statistics showing the 
actual amount of timber that is being cut for lumber, wood pulp, 
cooperage, chemicals, furniture, and maintenance of various other 
industries that obtain their supply of raw material from our forests 
and woodlands. We undertook this work in 1891 and since then 
have made an annual report of the same. The steady increase each 
year demands serious consideration, for with this constantly grow- 
ing demand there is a corresponding decrease in the supply. The 
annual increment of growth in the remaining trees is so small in 
comparison with the removal of timber that it is a negligible factor 
in the question. Furthermore, it will be many years before the re- 
foresting operations conducted by the State will assume proportions 
that will in any great degree offset the annual loss. 

It is necessary to state here that the great increase in our forest out- 
put, as shown in the followrng statistics for 1905, is due to the fact 
that in previous years we compiled returns from the Adirondack 
and Catskill forests only, and did not obtain the product from the 
small mills in other parts of the State. We were unaware until re- 
cently that these out-lying woodlands, much of them in the farming 
districts, were producing lumber and other wood material to any 
considerable extent. Having decided, however, to make our statistics 
as complete as possible, and inclusive of the entire State, we submit 
here figures showing the entire forest output of New York, based on 
the written returns furnished from the office of each mill, factory, or 
industry consuming logs obtained from the forests and woodlands 
within our borders. To this end, and in order to secure accuracy, 
each firm or individual was cautioned in our printed instructions to 
omit all stock obtained from Pennsylvania or Canada. 

The statistics given here are for the output of 1905. As explained 
in our previous reports we cannot give the figures for the current 
year, 1906, because the returns cannot be obtained in time for our 
annual report. 



30 

Product of the forests and woodlands in the State of Xew York 
for the year 1905 : 

LUMBER. 

Spruce. 

Feet, B. M. Feet B. M. 

Adirondack counties 203,589,532 

Catskill counties 2,933,393 

Farming counties 4o53.549 

2 1 1 ,076,474 

Hemlock. 

Adirondack counties 73.05 1-93-2 

Catskill counties 23,504,688 

Farming counties 82,993,198 

179.5^9.818 

PiXE. 

Adirondack counties 59,838,239 

Catskill counties 12,530,^68 

Farming counties ,. . . . 39,701,244 

J 1 2,069,95 1 

Hardwood. 

Adirondack counties 78,817,818 

Catskill counties 41,250,682 

Farming counties 127,515,722 

247,584,222 

PULPWOOD. 

.Adirondack counties — 536,580 cords — 
equivalent B. M 294,582,420 



31 

ROUNDWOOD. 

(For Cooperage, Excelsior, Wood Alcohol, etc.) 

Feet, B. M. Feet, B. M. 

Adirondack counties — 51 ,040 cords — 
equivalent B. M 28,020,960 

Catskill counties — 129,351 cords — 
equivalent B. M 70,914,879 

Farming counties — 124,356 cords — 

equivalent B. M . . . 68,271,444 

167,207,283 

Total 1,212,070,168 

Shingles 53,374,000 

Lath 67,908,300 

SUMMARY. 
Product by Localities. 

Feet, B. M. 

Adirondack counties 737,900,901 

Catskill counties '. 151,134,110 

Farming counties 323,035,157 

1,212,070,168 

Product by Industries. 

Feet, B. M. 

Lumber 750,280,465 

Pulpwood 294,582,420 

Roundwood -, 167,207,283 

1,212,070,168 



32 

Product by Species. 

Ftet, B. M. 

Spruce 476,200,652 

Balsam 29,458,242 

Hemlock 179,549,818 

Pine 112,069,951 

Hardwoods 414,791,505 



1,212,070,168 



The amount reported as consumed for pulpwood includes some 
balsam, estimated at ten per cent. Of the 84 pulp mills in this 
State, three of them use poplar almost exclusively. These three mills 
make a pulp which is used in the manufacture of a high grade of 
paper needed for books and magazines, and for which spruce is not 
available. In making calendered paper a large proportion of rags 
is necessary, and poplar is the only species of wood that can be used 
as a mixture with good results. 

In the classification of the product by localities the term " Farming 
counties," includes the entire State outside the twelve Adirondack 
and four Catskill counties. 

The term " roundwood " includes not only logs, but also the 
largest of the round branches which are used in the manufacture of 
wood alcohol, furniture, excelsior, and for fuel in brick kilns. As 
the material for these industries is to a large extent cut into four- 
foot lengths the mills make their returns in cords instead of logs, and 
it is impossible to separate the smaller wood from the logs. 

The amount of shingles reported are made from logs cut, or set 
apart at saw mills, for this purpose. Shingle makers estimate that 
one thousand feet of logs will make from 8,000 to 10,000 shingles, 
the estimate varying according to the quality of the logs, and the 
length of the shingles — sixteen or eighteen inches. The figures 
given for the total output may therefore be increased accordingly. A 
large proportion of the shingles made in the Adirondack counties are 



33 

cedar, and this fact should be noted in connection with the classifica- 
tion by species. 

The term hardwoods used in these statistics includes several of the 
broad leaved or deciduous species. Thus far we have omitted any 
subclassification under this general head because many of the mills 
had not kept any such record of their hardwood logs. Some of the 
mill owners intimated that they did not want to be bothered by at- 
tempting a further addition to their returns, and as their responses to 
our requests for information are entirely gratuitous, it did not seem 
advisable to press the matter. We are able, however, to arrive ap- 
proximately at the proportion of species embraced under the reports 
of hardwoods from our knowledge of the standing timber and forest 
composition in the localities whence these mills obtain their logs. 
The hardwoods cut by the Adirondack mills are confined to birch, 
maple, beech, and basswood, and in this order as to quantity. There 
is also a very small proportion, but very small, of elm, cherry and ash. 
There is no oak, chestnut or hickory on the Adirondack plateau. But 
the hardwoods sawed in the mills throughout the rest of the State in- 
clude a large proportion of the latter species. 

The 112,069,951 feet of pine reported is almost exclusively white 
pine, especially so in the Adirondacks. In other parts of the State 
there are small quantities of Norway, pitch and yellow pine, but if 
cut they did not probably exceed five per cent, of the total output of 
pine. The tamarack (American larch) grows freely in some parts of 
the Adirondacks, especially on low swampy lands, but as yet it is not 
used in the sawmills to any noticeable extent. It is cut occasionally 
by farmers to furnish frame timber for barns or houses, for which 
purpose this species is well adapted. White cedar, as already men- 
tioned, is used largely for shingles, and a great many trees of this 
species are cut every year for telegraph and telephone poles. But 
the timber removed from the forest for the latter purpose does not 
enter into the returns from the mills, and as the work is done by 
3 



34 

jobbers and farmers we are unable to arrive definitely at this par- 
ticular, but important, product. 

The figures showing the forest product consumed by the pulpmills 
do not indicate the extent of that industry in this State, for many of 
them obtain a part, or all, of this stock of wood from Canada. There 
are 87 pulpmills in New York. Wisconsin comes next, with 38 ; then 
Maine, with 30, and New Hampshire, with 10. In daily capacity 
New York leads also, with 3,561 tons; Maine comes next, with 2,185 
tons; then Wisconsin, 1,404 tons, and New Hampshire, 1,048 tons. 
The daily capacity of the New York mills is divided into 2,459 to"s 
of ground, and 1,105 of chemical pulp. The mills consumed in 1905, 
a total of 1,301,986 cords of wood, of which 536,580 cords were cut 
in this State. The total production of pulp for that year was 977,- 
313 tons. The average stumpage value of spruce pulpwood in the 
Adirondacks is about $2.60 per cord, the price varying with its ac- 
cessibility, density of stand, and proximity of a desirable stream or 
railroad. 

FOREST RESOURCES OF NEW YORK. 

In view of the large amount of timber removed each year from the 
forests of this State it becomes necessary to make a careful inquiry 
as to the amount that is left. How long will it be before our re- 
sources are exhausted ? 

\'arious estimates have been made by professional foresters and 
experts during the last twenty years showing the amount of stand- 
ing timber in New York. In each case the amount was underes- 
timated. Some of the estimates are already disproved, because a 
larger amount has been cut since, and the cutting is still going on 
with a larger annual output than ever before. 

We have recently expended considerable time in efforts to ascer- 
tain the acreage of woodland in New York and classify it according 
to its forest composition. As a result of this work I submit an esti- 
mate of the amount of standing timber now remaining in the Adiron- 



35 

dack and Catskill forests and in the woodlands throughout the 
State : 

Feet, B.M. 

Coniferous species (softwoods or evergreens) .... 7,660,000,000 
Broad leaved species (hardwoods) 38,400,000,000 



Total 46,060,000,000 



No great degree of accuracy is claimed for these figures. It is 
submitted as an approximate estimate based on such information as 
the Department has been able to obtain after a careful study of the 
acreage and forest composition. It is tentative rather than final, 
and will be revised from time to time as further information is ob- 
tained. Its value consists chiefly in the fact that there is an entire 
lack of any other definite statement or estimate. 

Of the 7.66 billion feet of conifers we estimate that 5.075 billion 
feet consists of spruce, nearly all of which is in the Adirondacks, and 
the greater part of that on State lands. Of the 38.4 billion feet of 
hardwoods, we estimate that 32.95 billion feet is composed of maple, 
birch and beech ; and that, of the latter, 3.9 billion feet is situated in 
the woodlands outside the Adirondack and Catskill counties. The 
other hardwood species in the State consist of chestnut, oak, bass- 
wood and elm. The most of the white ash and hickory, because of 
their greater value, was removed years ago. Nut bearing trees 
may still be seen in isolated positions on the farms, but these are not 
included in the estimates of forest or woodland. Prior to 1875, or 
thereabouts, there was a large quantity of whitewood or yellow 
poplar (tulip tree) in the woodlands of southwestern New York 
noticeably in Chautauqua county ; but owing to the demand for this 
highly merchantable species, it has been cut, and now a tulip tree is 
seldom seen outside of parks or lawns. 



36 



TRESPASSES. 

The State forestry law relating to trespasses or cutting trees on 
lands of the forest preserve provides that: 

" A person who cuts or causes to be cut or carries away or causes 
to be carried away any trees, timber, wood or bark from state lands 
in the forest preserve is guilty of a misdemeanor; he shall also be 
liable to a penalty of ten dollars for each tree cut, taken away or 
destroyed by him, or under his direction. The penalty so incurred 
may be recovered in the action to recover damages for trespass or in 
a separate action." (Chap. 20, Laws of 1900, Part II, Article 
XIII, Section 222). 

Attention is called to the provision of the above section by which 
a trespass is constituted a misdemeanor instead of a felony. For this 
reason petty trespassers have been punished by the impositi6n of a 
fine equivalent to three times the value of the timber cut, or in some 
cases by a penalty of ten dollars a tree, and imprisonment is enforced 
only when the defendants refuse to pay the fine. 

At the same time, offenders of this class can be prosecuted for 
larceny under a section of the penal code, and hence, in cases where 
there was a flagrant violation of the law, an intentional trespass of 
great extent, indictments for grand larceny have been obtained and 
the defendants are now waiting trial. No trespasses of this kind, 
however, occurred in 1906, the year for which this report is made. 

During the year 1906 the legal department of the Commission has 
collected and turned into the State Treasury $19,651.25 which was 
obtained from fines imposed for cutting trees on State land. Of 
this amount $18,566.25 was in settlement of offences committed prior 
to the current year, and $1,085.00 for trespasses during 1906. 

The forest inspectors, game protectors, and other employes of the 
Commission are now required by law to report immediately to this 
office each trespass when discovered, its location, and number of 
trees cut ; also the kind of trees and diameter of the stump. They 



37 

are provided with printed blanks on which to make out these re- 
ports, and which must be mailed to the superintendent as soon as 
the offender is discovered and the stumps counted and measured. 
When the report is received at the Albany office it is entered on a 
book of record and then handed to the legal department of the 
Commission for immediate prosecution. In no case will a settle- 
ment be made for less than three times the value of the timber ; and 
in aggravated cases or repeated offenses the defendants are indicted 
for grand larceny. 

There are no lumbering operations now on State land as formerly, 
and the only trespasses committed by lumbermen are where the old 
blazed line of a State lot has become obliterated, or where there is a 
disputed boundary. The most of the trespasses in 1906 were by 
persons who cut trees for firewood. 

If the question is asked why these trespasses were not stopped 
before, I would respectfully call your attention to the fact that prior 
to the passage of chapter 285, Laws of 1905, the business connected 
with the suppression of trespasses was entrusted by law to officials 
belonging to another department of this Commission. When the 
business was placed in my hands by this law of 1905 all lumbering 
on State lands was stopped immediately, and timber cutting on the 
Preserve was suppressed so far that no violations occurred last 
year, except the petty cases among the poorer class of residents who 
took trees for firewood, or persons who cut timber along some dis- 
puted line or on some lot to which they claimed title and on which 
they had paid taxes for many years. 

^ AREA OF FOREST PRESERVE. 

The Forest Preserve as defined by law includes the lands now 
owned or which may be hereafter acquired by the State within the 
county of Clinton, except the towns of Altona and Dannemora, and 
the counties of Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, 
Oneida, Saratoga, Saint Lawrence, Warren, and Washington, in the 



38 

Adirondacks ; and the counties of Delaware, Greene, Ulster, and Sul- 
livan, in the Catskills, except 

1. Lands within the limits of any village or city, and 

2. Lands not wild lands acquired by the State on foreclosure of 
mortgages made to loan commissioners. 

The area of the Forest Preserve at this date is: 

Acres. 

Adirondack Preserve ^A^5>775 

Catskill Preserve 104,524 



1,520,299 



The increase in acreage, over that given in my last report, is due 
to purchases made during the year. 

Of the total acreage in the Preserve, 1,296,852 acres are situated 
within the Adirondack Park, and 94,468 within the Catskill Park. 
The lands outside the parks have a total area of 128,979 acres, and 
each lot or parcel was acquired by the State through a tax sale. 
These outlying, scattered lands are located as follows : 

Acres. 

Adirondack counties 1 18,923 

Catskill counties 10,056 



128,979 



THE JOHN BROWN FARM HOUSE. 

By a deed of gift dated March 29, 1895, Henry Clews and wife 
conveyed to the people of New York the tract of Adirondack land 
situated in North Elba, Essex county, known as the John Brown 
Farm, and this deed was subsequently accepted by an Act of Legis- 
lature. 

John Brown lived on this farm prior to his participation in the 
slavery war in Kansas, and his family were living there at the time 



39 

of his raid at Harper's Ferry. After his death his body was brought 
there from Virginia for burial, in accordance with a request made by 
him shortly before his execution, which occurred at Charlestown, 
Va., December 2, 1859. 

In 1870, an association of twenty persons was formed through the 
efforts of the late Kate Field, of Washington, D. C, for the purpose 
of purchasing and preserving the property, and the farm which had 
already been offered for sale was bought accordingly. Through its 
agent, Mr. Clews, the association transferred the property to the 
State. 

The farm contains 243 acres, of which only 40 acres have been 
cleared ; the remainder is covered by the forest. The two-story, un- 
painted farm house, built by John Brown in 1850, stands near the 
little enclosure in which his remains are buried. 

As the care and custody of this propery devolves on the Forest 
Commission, a custodian was appointed who lives in the farm house. 
He receives no pay, but he has the use of the house and farm free of 
rent. 

As the house was built 57 years ago it needs repairing, and a 
failure to do this may incur a charge of neglect. I respectfully rec- 
ommend that an item of $300 be inserted in the Supply Bill to pro- 
vide for a proper care of this historic place. 

Very respectfully, 

WILLIAM F. FOX. 
Albany, December 31, 1906. 



^'■' 



|L2»,™1,°'' CONGRESS 

MP. 



